Basketball recruits of Tyus Jones' distinction can be difficult to impress, but Tom Izzo managed to pull it off Saturday evening.

Straight from Michigan State's 70-48 rout of Memphis for a spot in the Sweet 16, Izzo hopped a chartered flight to Minneapolis. He watched Jones lead Apple Valley High to a state title at the Target Center with 26 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.

"For him to come see me on the same day he had an NCAA game, I mean, that was pretty cool," Jones, a junior and the consensus top point guard in the nation for the class of 2014, told the Free Press. "It was great to see him."

And then Izzo was gone, home to prepare for Friday's battle with Duke in the Midwest Regional semifinals at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. He seems to be butting heads with Mike Krzyzewski more and more lately.

"I think that's just the way it's happened," Izzo said in general of recent and ongoing recruiting battles with Duke -- Chicago Simeon 2013 forward Jabari Parker picked the Blue Devils over the Spartans in December, and Jones and Chicago Whitney Young 2014 big man Jahlil Okafor are considering both, among others.

Friday's game between No. 2 seed Duke (29-5) and No. 3 seed MSU (27-8) will serve as a program barometer of sorts for Izzo. It always does when he faces Krzyzewski, one of the few current coaches who can claim more achievement and acclaim.

Their programs are similar in many ways, and the achievements are strikingly similar when you consider the 15-year head start Krzyzewski had in turning Duke from a solid ACC program into a "blueblood" -- the same thing Izzo has been working on in 18 seasons of leading the Spartans.

"Nobody's Duke, because Duke is Duke -- we are one of the closest things to it as far as consistency," said Izzo, whose 11 Sweet 16 appearances in the past 16 years is bettered only by Krzyzewski's 13.

"Are they on different tiers still? I don't think so," said Jay Bilas, ESPN analyst and former Duke player and assistant coach. "I think Michigan State has built a brand that is on the top tier. For any kid that's breathing right now, for their entire lives MSU has been right there with anybody.

"I get (Tom's) U.P. humility in all this, but let's be honest. Michigan State has to play one of the great programs in college basketball to get to the Elite Eight. And so does Duke."

Consider the numbers. Krzyzewski, in his 38th season overall, has the most wins in Division I history (956) and in the NCAA tournament (81). Izzo, in his 18th season, has 439 wins overall and is fifth among active coaches with 39 NCAA wins.

Krzyzewski has four national titles and 11 Final Fours; Izzo has the 2000 national title and six Final Fours. Krzyzewski is first among active coaches in NCAA winning percentage (.771), and Izzo is fifth (.736).

Through 10 seasons at their programs, they were remarkably similar. Duke was 231-101 with five Sweet 16s, four Final Fours, no national titles and a 22-7 NCAA record. MSU was 233-97 with six Sweet 16s, four Final Fours, one national title and a 23-7 NCAA record.

Krzyzewski finally broke through with national championships in his 11th and 12th seasons. When Duke and MSU reached the Final Four in 2001, Izzo had a chance to draw even in that department -- but Arizona beat MSU and Duke beat Arizona to win it all.

Both were in the 2010 Final Four. MSU lost a thriller to Butler, Duke beat Butler in a thriller to win it all.

"They have won a couple (more) national championships ... and so the chase is still on, whether it be in recruiting or whether it be in games," Izzo said. "But I think the good part about it is there's a respect factor there in the way they do it and the way we've done it."

Izzo is 1-6 against Krzyzewski but 1-1 in the NCAA tournament. Of the five regular-season losses, one came at home, two at Duke and two at neutral sites.

Now Izzo has a chance to claim a winning NCAA record over Krzyzewski, if he can pull off a victory Friday.

Jones and Okafor intend to play college ball together, and that's quite a haul. Rivals.com ranks Okafor the No. 1 player in the nation for 2014, Jones No. 3.

"You get Okafor and Jones, you will have shifted the national spotlight to your program," ESPN recruiting analyst Dave Telep said. "That would be a watershed moment for any program."

MSU also is considered the leader for 2014 big man Cliff Alexander of Chicago Curie, the No. 5 prospect according to Rivals.com. So Izzo is in the running for what would be his most celebrated class.

But he'll have to beat Krzyzewski to get it. As Izzo found with Parker, that's tough to do, despite spending considerably more time on a recruitment than Duke does.

"He's Coach K -- the guru of all basketball right now," Parker said when announcing his decision in December and referencing Krzyzewski's consecutive Olympic gold medals as head coach of Team USA.

Jones said he and Okafor won't decide until the fall. Jones also is considering Kentucky, Kansas, Ohio State, Minnesota and Baylor, and he recently cut North Carolina.

He'll be watching Friday's game intently, he said, rooting for neither team and considering them similar in many ways. Just about every way.

"I have great relationships with both of them," Jones said of Izzo and Krzyzewski. "I like their style of play, the way they use their point guards. And the tradition they have. Both have been great programs for a long time."